Table saws are a type of woodworking machinery used to cut workpieces of wood, plastic and other materials. Table saws include a flat surface or table with a circular saw blade extending up through a slot in the table. A user slides a workpiece on the table against and past the blade while the blade is spinning to cut the workpiece.
Of all the tools in a wood working shop, table saws present perhaps the greatest risk of injury. Table saws present a risk of injury to users because the spinning blade is often exposed when in use. The blade cuts very quickly and can sever a finger upon the slightest slip or misplacement. Accordingly, safety features or systems have been developed to minimize the risk of injury. Probably the most common safety feature is a blade guard that physically blocks a user from making contact with the spinning blade. In many cases, blade guards effectively reduce the risk of injury, however, there are many instances where the nature of the operations to be performed precludes using a guard that completely blocks access to the blade. There exists a need for a table saw with a safety system that significantly reduces the risk of serious injury from a user accidentally contacting the spinning blade.